LAS VEGAS — The first Mountain West semifinal victory since 2017.
Colorado State men’s basketball started hot in its 83-72 MW tournament semifinal win against Utah State Friday. Following what could be described as a win and nothing more against Nevada, the Rams found their stride. If they can keep it up, victory against a hot Boise State team — and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament — isn’t all that unlikely.
Nique Clifford put the game away at the line along with another double-double off 26 points and 11 rebounds. The exceptional athlete saw his fair share of highlights — including a definitive dunk off a steal in transition — but wasn’t as involved as he typically is until after his teammates got the game going.
It was Jalen Lake and Kyan Evans providing the early winning difference between CSU’s struggles Thursday and its jumpstart Friday. Lake finished with 14 points off a much more efficient 5-of-8 shooting, and Evans sniped four of his five 3-point attempts. Being more known as role players, it was encouraging seeing the rest of the crew take the weight off Clifford’s shoulders.
“We needed them all tonight,” coach Niko Medved said. “We learned that again. There were a lot of fouls called. It was a really, really physical game that way, and so we needed that. But I thought those guys came in, and I thought they gave us a good start.”
With increased force, and a wholly involved offense, finding open looks came more naturally in the semifinals bout. Against USU’s defensive swarm, CSU spaced the floor and kept passing lanes open. The Aggies doubled up often on Clifford — and whoever the primarily ball handler was — in an effort to force turnovers. They had some success, but the Rams managed to exploit their gameplan more often.
Clifford actually used his gravity to the advantage of CSU saw increased off-ball movement as well but did so with purpose. Their upped intensity allowed each player to fight through the pressure at times and keep the lanes clear in the first half for Lake and Evans.
“It was really nice just to see some shots going in,” Lake said. “My teammates were able to find me, thankfully, so I was able to get hot that first half. And I just had to flush (out) yesterday and just come in with a new mindset and perspective.”
CSU’s offensive spark carried them early, but as the game wore on, the defensive intensity that fueled their fast start began to fade. What looked like a comfortable win turned into a tense battle as the Rams struggled to keep their energy up.
CSU looked worn out in the second half in comparison to its fiery start and gave up too many open looks. As the clock wound down, CSU’s early momentum had all but vanished. Missed free throws and a stagnant offense gave USU the window it needed to claw back into contention, turning what should have been a routine finish into a nerve-wracking final stretch.
In a tournament environment, making the semifinals —and the championship — means playing multiple games in a row, and a toll from the first half was clearly taken.
From a shot clock violation to inconsistent play, the Rams made the game way closer than it had to be. The final moments were filled with just about every favorable call and just about every favorable outcome for USU, and the Aggies fed off that energy. For however many bad things occurred for CSU, about as many good things came to its opponent.
“Like coach said, we knew they were going to make a run,” Clifford said. “We knew they’re a great team, so they aren’t going to quit. I think we got stagnant offensively a little bit, and we just kind of got into their game. … At the end, they made some big time plays, but at the end of the game, we found ways to get stops.”
Even with the game seemingly put away in the start of the second half, USU conjured the strength to put up an admirable fight.
The Aggie fans relatively packing Thomas and Mack helped invigorate their team in what sounded like a USU home game. CSU felt the effect of the environment and it led to a breakdown in which it barely managed to withstand.
While USU’s players still shot ineffectively in the back half, the Aggies outrebounded CSU 26-16 and outscored it 42-34. Throughout the whole game — but especially when it mattered most — the Rams found themselves on the wrong side of the whistle.
“There were some questionable foul calls there, but it was both ways, so you can’t complain about that,” Clifford said. “It definitely, definitely made the game a little slower paced. We just had to find ways to be smarter, figure out the game plan, to be aggressive.”
Part of that gameplan came by way of defensive adjustment after being exploited just after the break.
“But I actually thought our zone defense late in the game was really good for us,” Medved said. “Anything (that) just made them take time off the clock, you know, and we weren’t fouling as much. The clock was our friend at that point. And, you know, if we made a few more free throws, took care of the ball a little bit better. It wouldn’t have gotten as tight as it did.”
The Rams face BSU at 4 p.m. MST Friday, playing in the MW championship match for the first time in eight years.
With a trip to the championship secured, the Rams have strengthened their case for an NCAA tournament bid. But with one game left, a win over Boise State could remove any doubt and cement their spot in March Madness.
“(You) can’t ask for more,” Clifford said. “It’s pretty special right now — right now in history, and so we’re going to go out and do whatwe’re supposed to do tomorrow. I feel like that’s what you work for all year — that’s what you want to do as a collegiate athlete. It’s pretty special to be a part of, and just to see where we came from the beginning of the year, nobody thought we were going to be in this position.”
Reach Michael Hovey at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @michaelfhovey.
